The M24 (shown here in 2002) is bound for an upgrade that will help it shoot farther, quieter and more accurately. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

For snipers, every war is different. Recognizing the differences between conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army is now selecting a contractor to upgrade the 22-year-old Remington bolt-action rifle to become a more effective killing machine. The Army will pour about $5.6 million into upgrades to the M24, with the new gear expected to be delivered to troops by this fall. The M24's barrel is being modified to shoot heavier .300 Winchester Magnum rounds, instead of the 7.62mm NATO ammunition, which should extend the rifle's maximum effective range by hundreds of yards to a maximum of about 1400 yards. The suppressor will reduce the noise and flash of the gun so snipers can stay in their hiding positions much longer after they fire.

18 comments:

Guess they are doing this because they think it will save some money. Kind of odd in a way, as the .338 Lapua came into being precisely because the .300 WinMag failed Army Penetration tests. Of course, you can't chamber Lapua in M24s because it requires a magnum form factor action.

Army procurement often makes me scratch my head. They decided to lean towards 6.8SPC over 6.5 Grendel when Grendel has better long range performance because 6.8SPC has a slightly heavier bullet...now they go to re-arm with sniper rifles with lighter bullets than they said were acceptable in the 80s for penetration...Oh well, .300 Winnie makes more sense than 7.62/.308 Win ever did.

Guess if you have a lot of non-magnum Rem rifles it makes sense fiscally. God's honest truth, though, that the only reason the .338 Lapua exists as it does today is because the US Army rejected .300 WinMag as a sniper round.

You are wrong. The 338 Lapua was not developed to make up any short comings in the 300 win mag. Just isn't true. NO point in arguing it as it just never happened. It was developed in England based on the 416 rigby specifically as a sniper round. It is designed to be more accurate with better delivery of force at extreme ranges than the 50 cal and it does in most applications.

I have used 308, 300win mag, 50 cal and 338 Lapua extensively over the yrs and I know the 338 is a fan boy favorite over the years but it just simply isn't true that is was made for the purpose you described.

The 300 win mag fills a very specific billet and is a fine caliber and we are well served by it.

I'm neither a military or rifle expert, but what I take from this is that the Army is throwing away everything but the receiver and bolt and replacing everything else with new parts. I'm also going to assume that this is a compromise since they can't get the money to buy entirely new rifles. Which I guess means that President Feckless is trying to win this war on the cheap.

I Just picked up a 300win today and clickedoff a round and I must say I like what I feltafter shooting the .338 and .308 I must say I think this is just right and Amo at 24-28 a box it sure beats the Lupa @$120.+ aboxany on recommend a good tac stock? (Howa/Weth LA)

I was fielding a sniper rifle (M26). In OIF (03) the concept was we need more power but less of a signature of the .50 cal. Here’s the said truth. Because it wasn’t a .308(M24) I never got ammo for it. So we put it in lock down. Does anyone know about this rifle?

This is specifically for tom May 15, 2010 7:55 PMwho wrote that you need a specific action for the 338Lapua... which is absolutely untrue. I've had a R700 chambered in 7mm Magnum (which is simply a "long action" rechambered to 338 Lapua. It's not a matter of magnum action since those don't really exist in the Remington 700 world. It's simply a matter of "long action" vs "short action". The .308 winchester is a short action caliber and all of the R700 you'll see in .308 are a short action built rifle... except the M24 SWS. The Army built this rifle with the full intention in mind of swapping it to a .300Winmag down the road. The new variant of the rifle they are going to is called the XM2010 and is a modular version of the R700 MSR. The XM2010 is capable of 3 calibers... .308, .300WM, and .338 Lapua, with complete interchangeability all while maintaining the zero. The stock is modular with the ability to install rails up front for different night optical additions as well as any PEQ options. But the .338 Lapua does NOT need a "Magnum Action".

These information are really interesting.These guns will look more interesting and amazing while they are in the hands of any trained professional but they are simply meant for defense officers not the general public. Regards:MA Gun License